Before I Made It

The Winnipeg defenseman talks about playing in Minnesota and driving to the games with his mom. With Kevin Kennedy
I grew up in Rochester, Minnesota and I am the youngest of three boys in my family. We all played professional hockey and we owe a lot to a couple local coaches, Kirk Gill and Todd Lampman.

The former Devil and current member of the Minnesota Wild talks about how he got into the game. With Kevin Kennedy
I was born and raised in Clinton, New York and that’s where I played for my first hockey team. In Clinton, all the kids my age were playing hockey and I was kind of one of the last kids to start.

The Maple Leafs energy player talks about how he got into hockey, his favorite coach and more. With Kevin Kennedy
I grew up in Illinois and I guess I started playing hockey because of my brother. One day he brought home a random flyer for a spring hockey team.

The Sabres agitator talks about growing up as a fan of the team and what it felt like to get drafted by them. With Kevin Kennedy
Hockey was something I just tried one day. I was pretty active as a youngster and started my hockey career pushing a chair around cones on the rink in Hamburg, New York.

The Capitals defenseman talks about playing on the outdoor ice in Calgary and more. With Kevin Kennedy
Near where I grew up in Calgary, Alberta there was a lake that froze over in the winter right in the city. I remember pushing the chair around the ice and I guess that’s where it all got started for me.

The New York Ranger talks about playing out of Waterloo, Ont., and the memorable tournaments he played in. With Kevin Kennedy
My dad got me into hockey and signed me up at Rosedale arena in Waterloo, Ont. The first team I played on was called the L.

The Phoenix Coyotes defenseman talks about his best minor hockey memories, his first NHL game and more. With Kevin Kennedy
The highlight of my youth hockey experience was definitely playing in a tournament up in Canada. We played against a team called the Montreal Vipers who had a bunch of players who are in the NHL now, but we went in there and we beat them and won the tournament.

The Sabres right winger recalls being all about hockey as a kid and playing in the Quebec peewee tournament. With Kevin Kennedy
When I was young I really didn’t have many hobbies outside of hockey. In the winter we’d be on the outdoor rink and in the summer we’d be playing road hockey.

The Minnesota defenseman talks about growing up at the local rink and getting drafted into the WHL and NHL. With Kevin Kennedy
I grew up in Strasbourg, a small town of about 800 people in Saskatchewan. Basically, every kid played hockey and if you showed up at the rink, they suited you up and let you play.

The Sabres defender talks about his unexpected rise through the ranks and move from forward to defense. With Kevin Kennedy
I don’t have any memory of this, but my parents told me that when I was very little I used to love watching hockey on television.

The hero of the Winter Classic for the Rangers looks back at his younger days and talks about his path to the NHL. With Kevin Kennedy
I played in a house league in Cleveland, Ohio until I went to high school. Hockey was growing in Cleveland at the time and it was a lot of fun.

The young Flyers power forward talks about growing up a Rangers fan and playing in Madison Square Garden. With Kevin Kennedy
I played my first hockey where I grew up in Wall, New Jersey. I started in a program called Initiation and they would split three hours of ice time between three age groups, but I started loving hockey so much that I’d stay out for all three hours.